29 Comments

If that Brooklyn Blackout Cake was so popular it must have been really really good because it sure looks scary. I like chocolate but if I had to choose, I'd go for the... (taking a deep breath) Mocha Buttercream Yellow Cake.

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The mocha cake immediately makes me think of the classic British coffee walnut cake that was a staple of my childhood, only without the unnecessary walnuts. Today, I hesitate to buy those I encounter in cafes on trips to the UK: Gussied up or veganized, they lack the simple yumminess of the olden days.... And anyway, they are often skimpy on the icing. I will give this mocha cake a go!

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Nov 2, 2023Liked by Jolene Handy

Reading this recipe you have brought back so many childhood memories. Spending every summer growing up visiting my grandparents in Brooklyn (Coney Island Avenue) we of course would also be visiting aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. My mother NEVER went on a visit that she didn't stop at Ebinger's on the way. She always purchased the Mocha Buttercream Cake to take with us and they were oh so good!! Thank you for this recipe, I can't wait to try.

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Jun 11, 2023Liked by Jolene Handy

Yes, my aunt would visit us from Brooklyn nearly every week and bring us this exact cake. It was so good. And since I was a kid and a picky eater, I would remove the almonds! Thank you for this recipè. I am definitely going to try it.

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Hi Jolene, as a compulsive reader and book lover, I can't but admire the old cookbooks you show and mention in your stories. I wonder how many old cookbooks you have. Do you hunt for them in used/vintage bookstores? The internet?

Now that I think about it, it would be great if you devoted one of your posts to this subject (unless you have already done that).

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What a beautiful slice of history, Jolene! I appreciate the shout-out, too! Thank you for sharing your story of this great cake.

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Oct 16, 2021Liked by Jolene Handy

So funny! I was literally driving earlier this week and thought to myself, “I wonder when Jolene’s next newsletter will be sent,” and poof! A few hours later you sent this treasure! Ebinger’s closed before I was born but my parents and their siblings would talk about it all the time. How do we convince someone to open that safe and open Ebinger’s 2.0?!

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Mmmmm... love the pic of the beautiful cake tin, too!

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I love the title, Everybody’s Cookbook.

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Feb 3Liked by Jolene Handy

I would luv to have this cake again as it was my favorite. The original had lightly spinkled almonds on the top and on the side.

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deletedOct 17, 2021Liked by Jolene Handy
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